Dramatic fall in number of UK breweries

United Kingdom | It is not just pubs disappearing at an alarming rate. According to new figures released on 27 January, brewery closure rates increased dramatically during 2025 compared to previous years. The UK now has just 1578 individual breweries as of 1st January, says the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA), compared to 1715 at the start of 2025, 1815 in 2024, and 1828 in 2023 when SIBA’s brewery tracker started.

Keystone Brewing acquired in GBP 4.5 million deal

United Kingdom | The struggling roll-up, Keystone Brewing Group, has been acquired by the newly-formed Great British Drinks Company for just GBP 4.5 million (USD 6.2 million), it was reported on 22 January.

United Kingdom | Diageo is reportedly considering the sale of its controlling stake in Chinese baijiu producer Sichuan Swellfun as part of a wider programme of disposals. The move would allow Diageo’s new leadership to cut debt. The new CEO, Sir Dave Lewis, started his role on 1 January.

UK’s Keystone Group files fourth administration intent notice

United Kingdom | Black Sheep Brewery is still “trading as normal” despite it and the Yorkshire firm’s parent company, Keystone Brewing Group, submitting repeated notices of intention to appoint administrators in the past eight weeks.

Schneider brewery buys beer brands Weltenburger and Bischofshof

Germany | Call it a Bavarian rescue mission. The family-owned brewery G. Schneider & Sohn (“Schneider Weisse”) from Kelheim, Bavaria, will acquire the trademark rights to “Bischofshof” and “Weltenburger” from the struggling Bischofshof brewery in Regensburg, Bavaria, on 1 January, 2027. Schneider has been contract brewing for Bischofshof before becoming its rescuer.

Castel Group: CEO accused of power grab

France | You can tell something is seriously wrong if family members of the notoriously secretive French Castel Group start talking to the media. Reports say that two Castel family members want to oust the former Swiss tax lawyer-turned-Castel CEO, Gregory Clerc, 39. They accuse him of a power grab and pursuing a vision for the group which is not in accordance with the family’s values. But the latest attempt (8 January) to sack him failed.

Italy marginally lowers beer excise

Italy | Although Italy is enjoying an unusual bout of economic stability, chronically low GDP growth means the government does not have enough money to satisfy all the demands of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition partners. So Assobirra, an industry body representing the majority of Italy’s breweries, is mightily pleased that the government has agreed to lower the excise on beer to EUR 2.98 (USD 3.45) per hl and per degree Plato, compared to the current EUR 2.99, for the years 2026 and 2027.

The Netherlands | Heineken will release its full year 2025 results on 11 February. Considering that Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink chose to resign on 12 January after six years at the helm of the world’s number two brewer and only a few months after outlining its new strategy, the figures may not look all that good.

Decline in German beer sales steepens in 2025

Germany | The sales crisis in the German brewing industry deepens. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office cited by the German Brewers' Association (DBB), beer sales in November 2025 were down 8.2 percent over the same month in 2024, both in total and in terms of taxable volume sales.

Russia’s beer consumption drops 17 percent in 2025, really?

Russia | Retail sales of beer dropped by 17 percent in 2025, according to official estimates, while beer production was down only 0.5 percent, or even up by some percentage points over 2024. How to explain these wide discrepancies? Alexey Nebolsin, Vice-President of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Russia, warned on the website aif.ru (23 December): “In reality, the situation is quite different.”